Lisa's success to date is a testament to her words. While she contemplates her plans for the future, she has considered combining her love of immunology with her passion for nutrition. "The possibilities are endless - only time will tell where I end up!"

As a current recipient of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Canada Graduate Scholarship (Master's), Lisa Mannik is dedicated to the study of immune cells termed Natural Killer T (NKT) cells, which are involved in host defence against infectious pathogens and can skew the immune system towards either pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory responses.

Her decision to complete a graduate degree at Western, working in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, was influenced by "the breadth of research in the department and the dynamic faculty". However, Lisa's main deciding factor was working under the guidance of Dr. Mansour Haeryfar "ultimately, it was his passion for research and up-and-coming status as a new researcher that eventually sealed the deal".

Lisa's research is leading the way toward filling in the gaps in the field of NKT cell immunobiology. Specifically, she has found that a GPI-anchored glycoprotein termed Thy-1 is present on mouse NKT cells, whereby cross-linking of Thy-1 results in NKT cell activation. She has shown that Thy-1 may act as a co-stimulatory molecule, with the finding that NKT cell activation via Thy-1 cross-linking, combined with conventional T-cell receptor-mediated NKT cell activation, enhances NKT cell production of both pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Lisa plans on moving towards work using human NKT cells and ultimately aims to discover a novel biological role for Thy-1 in the context of NKT cell responses.

Among Lisa's academic achievements, she has co-authored a recent publication and has been awarded the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (2007-2008), as well as the Microbiology & Immunology Graduate Entrance Fellowship (2007). Lisa has been involved in numerous academic and leadership endeavours including acting as co-chair of the departmental Social Committee, a member of the organizing committee for the Infection and Immunity Research Forum, and as a volunteer for open houses and recruitment events. She also enjoys participating in various intramural sports teams including volleyball, ultimate Frisbee and 3-pitch. Lisa's fellow graduate students have played a significant role in her graduate school experience with whom she has enjoyed interacting with on a daily basis. She offers important advice to her fellow graduate students: "follow your heart and pursue what interests you the most - if you're passionate about your field, success will follow".